FEC: An Agency Tasked with Regulating First Amendment Activity

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The Federal Election Commission is the independent agency charged with enforcing federal campaign finance law and enacting campaign finance regulations. The FEC was created after the Nixon Administration’s Justice Department pursued criminal campaign finance charges against the President’s critics. In light of that effort, Congress correctly rejected the idea of letting a future president effectively control a government agency tasked…

Comments to FEC Regarding Notice 2016-11: Rulemaking Petition: Political Party Rules

January 30, 2017   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , ,

The Center disagrees with Petitioners’ assertion that citizens pose a threat to the existence “of political parties at the state and local level”[5] when ...

Comments to FEC Regarding Notice 2016-10: Rulemaking Petition: Implementing the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015

January 30, 2017   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , ,

The Center generally urges the Commission to enact the Petition’s suggested amendments. In implementing the Appropriations Act, however, the Commission’s regulations should carefully conform ...

Comments to FEC regarding Revising Rules on Online Disclaimers to Adapt to New or Emerging Technologies

December 19, 2016   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , ,

In addressing the topic of online disclaimers, the Commission does not write upon a blank slate. Most directly, present regulations state that “[a]ll public ...

Issue One Launches Plan to “Return Government to the American People” By Empowering Government

December 14, 2016   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

On Wednesday morning, the self-styled campaign finance “reform” group Issue One hosted an event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event, ...

Self-Styled Campaign Finance “Reformers” Jump the Shark

December 6, 2016   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

This Issue Brief tells the alarming story of radical activists and government leaders pushing for new restrictions on political speech in the wake of ...

Some FEC Commissioners Unwilling to Commit to Not Banning Books

October 11, 2016   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

The Federal Election Commission’s recent public meeting revealed a partisan gap on what would have otherwise seemed a straightforward issue. Commissioner Lee Goodman proposed ...

Comments to FEC Commissioner Ravel on Proposal to Rescind AO 2006-15 (TransCanada) (FEC Agenda Document No. 16-32-A)

September 12, 2016   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , ,

The Center for Competitive Politics (“the Center”), respectfully submits comments in response to Commissioner Ravel’s Proposal to Rescind Advisory Opinion (“AO”) 2006-15 (TransCanada) (“the ...

The Internet and Free Speech

August 15, 2016   •  By Alex Baiocco   •  , ,

The Federal Election Commission recently voted along party lines on the issue of whether to impose sanctions on a nonprofit that posted a video ...

‘Leaks’ Courtesy of the FEC: No Hacking Necessary

August 3, 2016   •  By Alex Baiocco   •  , ,

The recent news of the leaked DNC emails, along with the more recent DCCC hack, has left many observers concerned about the state of ...

Surprise, Surprise: Partisan Grandstanding from FEC Commissioners Has Hurt the Agency’s Morale

August 2, 2016   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

The Federal Election Commission’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released a July 2016 study on the root causes of its infamously low employee ...

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